Values serve as guiding principles, motivating specific behaviors, and actions. Peers spend a considerable amount of time together, thus offering a unique platform for the acquisition and development of values. During adolescence, a stage of life when youth are actively defining their identities, peers emerge as vital social agents, contributing…

Using individual-level data from the Add Health surveys, we leverage idiosyncratic variation in gender composition across cohorts within the same school to examine whether being exposed to a higher share of female peers affects mental health and school satisfaction. We find that being exposed to a higher proportion of female peers, despite only…

This two-wave longitudinal study investigated the relationships between belief in others (i.e., teacher support, peer support, and family coherence) and social anxiety symptoms among rural adolescents, with self-esteem as a mediator and gender as a moderator. A total of 3,043 adolescents participated in the study across two waves. Results from…

This study investigated the extent to which adolescent social network positions are associated with the risk of lifetime daily smoking and nicotine dependence (ND), and whether these associations differ by gender. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 6,267), this study estimated multinomial logistic…

Objective: This study explored the burgeoning youth practice of possessing a fake, secondary Instagram account known as a "Finsta" in relation to exposure to alcohol-related content and college drinking. Participants: First-year university students with at least a primary Instagram account (N = 296) completed online surveys. Method:…

Background: Extending recent work on mindset contexts, researchers have explored how peer mindsets relate to students' outcomes in the classroom. However, little is known about the specific behaviours that signal peer mindsets to students, and prior work has used correlational methods. Aim: The present study aims to identify specific peer…

During adolescence, socialization of gender role attitudes (GRA) shifts from parents to peers, friends, and classmates; thus, it takes place primarily in the school context. Accordingly, previous studies identified school-related factors associated to adolescents' GRA. However, little is known about the relative importance of these factors as well…

Objective: The secondhand effects of alcohol use (SEA) are adverse consequences caused by another's drinking. This study explored the relationship among the experience of SEAs, alcohol use, and alcohol related consequences (ARC). In addition, we examined whether coping (i.e., adaptive, maladaptive, substance use coping, maladaptive coping without…

Background: Despite gender similarity in math performance, gender disparities persist in math-related attitudes and STEM aspirations among adolescents globally. To disentangle this puzzle, some studies adopt the dimensional comparison theory to investigate the role of intra-individual comparative advantage across academic subjects, while others…

As boarding schools in China gain prominence and the number of boarders continues to rise, their social development and emotional problems have become a major focus of attention. However, studies have shown that boarders in China may not experience the expected positive socio-emotional development. This study analyzed the impact of peer effects on…

Pakistan's evolution into a research-centric nation, recognized by Clarivate Analytics, suggests a transition towards a knowledge-based economy. However, the prevalence of academic dishonesty within Pakistan's academic institutions raises concerns, potentially impeding the realization of its intellectual prowess. This research therefore examines…

The present study aimed to test if perceived pubertal timing was related to marijuana and alcohol use through deviant peer affiliation. Additionally, we examined if the deviant peer pathway was moderated by impulsiveness, gender, or both. Data were collected from 342 youth, most of whom had a family history of substance use disorder. Youth…

Background: Previous studies have shown that when young people witness bullying, perceived social norms of their peer group affect their behavior. However, few studies have examined the specificity of norm misperception (i.e., overestimation of peer antisocial responses and the underestimation of prosocial responses relative to the objective group…

Objectives: This study examined writing anxiety coping strategies among Arabic language students at Islamic universities in Indonesia and explored differences based on gender, academic level, and specialization. Method: This study employed a descriptive research design, and data were gathered from 1,101 students using a validated Writing Anxiety…

Self- and group orientations represent distinct ways of perceiving the relations between the world and the self and are relevant to adolescents' development. Most of the existing studies in this area are cross-sectional, providing little information about how self- and group orientations develop. This 3-year longitudinal study examined the…